Five Foods You Should Not Put in Your Mouth
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- Created on Tuesday, 03 January 2012 16:48
In this article, we look at the top five foods that should never enter your mouth. Five foods that are responsible for much of today’s chronic illness and disease. If you regularly consume any of these foods, stop now and see what a powerful difference you can make to your health.
Wheat
Wheat is the number one food on our list, one that single handedly is responsible for most forms of digestive distress and discomfort. If you have not yet removed wheat from your diet this is an absolute must.
The protein gluten, found in wheat is particularly damaging to the lining of the digestive tract. The regular, frequent consumption of wheat based products is one of the key factors behind digestive disorders like IBS, Crohn’s Disease and Celiac’s. If you find yourself regularly affected by any of the below symptoms, removing wheat from your diet is particularly important:
- bloating or abdominal discomfort after eating,
- frequent bouts of diarrhoea or constipation,
- regular problems with gas and wind.
Recurrent eczema or hard to beat psoriasis is a key indication you are eating too much wheat.
Wheat, and it’s damaging protein gluten, is a common filler ingredient in many prepacked and prepared foods.
Top Ten Tips to Get Kids to Eat Their Vegetables
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- Created on Thursday, 17 November 2011 12:50
While sending them to bed hungry make work in the short term; it is not going to help cultivate that love of vegetables that will be so vital for disease prevention in later life. In this article we look at our Naturopath's top ten tips for getting your children to love their veggies!
Tip 1: Avoid the PCBs
I'm not talking about petrochemicals, or even commercial fertilisers here, though both are good candidates to avoid. I am talking about the dreaded frozen peas, carrots and broccoli!
Let's face it, there's no way to make frozen vegetables taste like anything more than cardboard and we all know that flavour is key for these connoisseurs.
If the convenience of reduced preparation times for frozen vegetables is too attractive, many supermarkets now stock fresh vegetables in prepared packages that can substantially reduce preparation time.
Tip 2: Seduce their Senses
Children have not had their senses dulled by years of abuse the way adults have. Using foods and preparation styles that appeal to as many senses as possible will increase the enjoyment of foods.
For example:
- Stimulate them with smells of fresh smelling herbs like basil, oregano and rosemary;
- Excite their eyes with the amazing colours and visuals
An Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Primer
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- Created on Thursday, 13 October 2011 18:29
We regularly ask our clients their main reason for seeking help from a Naturopath. Digestive health and improvement of digestive function are often listed as top reasons. Although clients may not know exactly what is wrong, they do know things aren't working optimally with their digestion.
What is IBS?
Typically IBS sufferers have a variety of the following symptoms:
- abdominal pain or discomfort and bloating,
- frequent bouts of diarrhoea and constipation,
- urgency associated with bowel movements, or feelings of incomplete evacuation.
It is worth noting that in many clients we see there is no formal diagnosis of IBS; rather, many people self diagnose. While it is true that medically IBS is a diagnosis of exhaustion, it is important to speak with a professional to rule out more serious bowel complications such as:
- inflammatory bowel disease,
- celiac disease, and
- parasitic infection.
While not as serious as the above, IBS can also sometimes mask an underlying lactose or other food intolerance.
Who gets IBS?
Most frequently IBS is diagnosed during adulthood with 50% of patients experiencing the onset of IBS before the age of 35.
IBS is more prevalent in women than in men. It affects 14% to 24% of women and 5% to 19% of men.
Treatment
Top Five Phytonutrients for Your Health
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- Created on Thursday, 17 November 2011 12:12
Food is more than just proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Every fruit or vegetable that you put in your mouth has a complex assortment of phytochemicals that provide amazing health benefits. You don't need exotic herbs for good health; including a wide variety of local fresh fruit and vegetables can provide you with many of the same active ingredients we look for in herbal medicine.
While it’s hard to stop at just five here are our top phytochemical recommendations for you to include in your diet.
Lutein & Zeaxanthin
We might have cheated and included two phytochemicals, but Lutein and Zeaxanthin are so tightly related and so frequently work in tandem that we're considering them as one!
Lutein and Zeaxanthin are two important phytochemicals for anyone concerned about eye health. Dietary intake of these two important phytochemicals has been associated with decreased risk of age related macular degeneration.
While you might normally think of grapes and berries when it comes to Lutein and Zeaxanthin, many vegetables are often more potent sources. Kale, watercress, spinach and parsley are all highly concentrated sources of Lutein, while Zeaxanthin is one of the major components in orange peppers.
Indoles
We regularly talk about hormonal
How Is Your Diet & Lifestyle Affecting Your Hormonal Health?
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- Created on Monday, 10 October 2011 15:25
In a previous article, we spoke about the role of progesterone supplementation in maintaining your health; particularly as ageing changes natural hormone production. There are also many dietary factors that may be railroading your attempts to hormonal balance.
While most people know that:
- excessive alcohol consumption;
- a high intake of sugar and processed foods; and
- the contraceptive pill;
can all lead to hormonal problems; these are generally things that most health conscious people are already avoiding. There are however, many other common pitfalls that are more subtle and can sneak their way into even the healthiest diet and lifestyle.
Sneaky Chemicals Causing Hormonal Havoc
The worst problem with many of these chemicals is how common they are in our modern world. Significant levels of toxicity of all the chemicals we will look at in this article are found in nearly all our clients. While authorities have set, what they deem safe levels for many of these, few, if any studies have taken into account our bodies response to a cumulative and combined load.
Phthalates
As you would expect, additives are a major source of trouble if you’re trying to keep your diet squeaky clean. Those unusual names at the
Read more: How Is Your Diet & Lifestyle Affecting Your Hormonal Health?